Laurel Gwendoline Burrowes

On May 1st 2025, around 8pm, Laurel Gwendoline Burrowes left this earthly plane of existence. She was 73 years old. Laurel is survived by her brother David Burrowes, her daughter Raven Smith, and her grandchildren Aslan & Apollo Winston.

Born February 23, 1952 to Florence Lillian Burrowes (Roberts) and Marcus Martin Burrowes in North Vancouver, Laurel was the youngest to complete the Burrowes family. She loved the outdoors from the beginning, hunting for crawfish in the creek running through her backyard as a kid, playing kick-the-can with the neighborhood, and going camping with her family. As she grew up, she became a swim instructor, lifeguard, ski patrol, mountain rescue volunteer, avid hiker, and kayaker. She would spend as much time outdoors as she could.

Perhaps her biggest adventure began when she went up North to the Yukon Territory in her twenties to manage a youth & recreation program in the small town of Caribou Crossing, better known as “Carcross,” where she met Raven’s father Frank. She ran the local public pool and helped organize movie nights for youth in town, led hikes, and loved to cross-country ski throughout the long winters.

Laurel loved music, working as an elementary music teacher in Vancouver Public Schools for over 20 years after returning to Vancouver. She had such a zest for life and an infectious enthusiasm that kids responded to. She even wrote a musical, “Canada: A Century of Song,” which she had to stop short of publishing due to a lack of funding. She loved to pick up a guitar and lead sing-alongs by the campfire at Camp Bow-Isle on Bowen Island off the coast of West Vancouver.

Laurel was a curious person with a penchant for history, a desire to keep up with the news, and an interest in the life stories of others. She would meet a stranger at a coffee shop or at a bus stop and strike up a conversation for hours. She took to heart the story of the good samaritan, helping those in need who were often overlooked. She would stop at every plaque on road trips, eager to learn everything there was to know about a location and its history and just as eager to tell anyone who would listen.

Laurel was a lifelong Christian Scientist and her love of church and God or “Life, Truth, Love, etc.” as it is defined, was central to her life to the very end. She grew up going to Sunday School in West Vancouver and continued to have membership in Christian Science Churches throughout her life, serving as the first and second reader on multiple occasions. She had an unwavering faith that guided and delivered her through life’s many trials and tribulations and always took the opportunity to pray for others.

Of all her roles, perhaps the most precious to Laurel was that of mother and grandmother. She was present at every birthday she could manage, playing guitar and bringing treats. When the pandemic started, she flew across the country to take care of her grandson Aslan during the lockdown. Every day she would take him to a nearby construction site to see all the trucks. She always showed up for her people, with unmatched enthusiasm and a big heart.

To Laurel, life was a bowl of cherries to be enjoyed head first and fully, with confidence, courage, gratitude, curiosity, and joy. Mountains were to be scaled and oceans to be swum or kayaked across. Campfires were for s'mores and sing-alongs and holidays were for family. Tasty food was to be enjoyed with people she loved and life’s joys were to be shared. She will be missed.

A memorial service will be held later this summer in the Vancouver area, details forthcoming for friends and family.